'I cried, I was heartbroken'- Shericka Jackson Opens Up About Emotional Journey and 200m Bronze Medal

Two-time world 200m champion Shericka Jackson has revisited the painful memory of missing the Paris Olympics, speaking candidly about her journey to recovery just moments after winning bronze in the 200m at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

Jackson, who finished third in Friday’s final with a time of 22.18 seconds (-0.1m/s), extended her remarkable streak of global medals while showing that she is still a major force in women’s sprinting.

Her bronze came on a day when fellow Jamaican Bryan Levell also took third in the men’s 200m, boosting Jamaica’s overall tally to eight medals at the championships.

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Though Jackson’s performance did not match the blistering times that earned her back-to-back world titles, it was a deeply meaningful race.

This medal marked her first major podium finish since the injury that ruled her out of Paris, and her reflections showed just how difficult the last 12 months have been.

Fans had speculated for months about her fitness, but Jackson’s words after the race made clear that her absence was never about choice, it was about survival and giving her body enough time to heal.

“It has been a rough journey, especially since last year,” she opined.

“I think this year is a faithful year after last year’s disappointment of not competing in the Olympics at all. I think I’ve recovered well from such a bad injury. It has been a journey where my family, my friends and everybody kept me grounded, and I think I did pretty well this year. I haven’t competed a lot this year because of the nature of my injury last year.”

The Jamaican star detailed how the multiple muscle tears she suffered almost derailed her career.

“It was some discovery that I didn’t know about, especially pulling two hamstrings and pulling quadriceps. It’s part of the sport; it hurts, but we move, and this year we wanted enough time to recover. It was a good thing the World Championship was in September, which gave me enough time.”

Her reflections were not without emotion. Jackson admitted that her earlier disappointment in Tokyo’s 100m final, where she finished just off the podium despite running 10.88 seconds, was a tough moment.

“After the 100m, I cried, I was heartbroken, but then I remembered that I needed to pat myself on the shoulder to be able to run 10.88 even though I did not get a medal.”

Friday’s bronze marked Jackson’s seventh individual medal at the World Championships, adding to her two 100m silvers and two 400m bronzes.

The race was historic, with Melissa Jefferson-Wooden of the USA becoming the first American woman to secure the sprint double, winning gold in 21.68 seconds, and Britain’s Amy Hunt claiming silver in 22.14 seconds.